A new study offers some hints on how people can burn more body fat and improve their overall health. Researchers from the University of Bath have found that working out before breakfast may do the trick.

Burn More Body Fat By Performing Exercise Before Breakfast

In the new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism on Oct. 18, researchers found that working out before having the first meal of the day appears to help people burn more fat than when they hit the gym after breakfast.

The study involved 30 obese or overweight men, who were divided into three groups. Participants in one group exercised before breakfast. Those in another group exercised after breakfast, and those in the control group made no changes to their daily routine.

After the six-week study period, the researchers found that participants in the group that performed exercise before breakfast burned twice the amount of fat than those in the group who exercised after breakfast.

As to why the participants who exercised before breakfast burned more fat, the researchers said that this has something to do with the insulin level of the body.

People have lower insulin levels after fasting overnight. Without getting the body's fuel from breakfast, the body turns to burning the fat from the fat tissue and muscles as a fuel.

Reduces Risk For Diabetes And Heart Disease

The researchers noted that changing the timing of exercise did not lead to any differences for weight loss among the participants, but they said it produced positive effects on the participants' health over the study period.

Their bodies were able to respond better to insulin. This helped keep their blood sugar levels under control, potentially reducing their risk for diabetes and heart disease.

"We found that the men in the study who exercised before breakfast burned double the amount of fat than the group who exercised after," said Javier Gonzalez, from the Department for Health of the University of Bath.

"Importantly, whilst this didn't have any effect on weight loss, it did dramatically improve their overall health."